Dear Holy Family Friends, Parishioners, Neighbors, Visitors and Guests,
Merry Christmas and welcome to all of you. Welcome if you are visiting us along with your family, friends or loved ones for the holidays. Welcome if you are new to our community. Welcome if this is your first time praying with us. Welcome if Holy Family is your spiritual home and has been for many years. Welcome! Your real presence enriches us and strengthens the sacred connection with our Lord’s real presence among us in our Christmas Masses.
Whatever your reason for coming to mass today, we invite you to reNEW your spiritual journey with us this year. We invite you to experience and help to create a NEW energy here at Holy Family.
What’s NEW you might ask? We have listened to and prayed over your feedback from three different surveys recently. The first, about a year and a half ago, was regarding our overall community. The second, last year, explored the Renew My Church Initiative initiated by Cardinal Cupich, which is comprehensively being carried out by every parish in the Archdiocese. Finally, our most recent survey was regarding our 5:00 pm Saturday Mass. The insights from these surveys led to some changes. But they have also led us to a deeper appreciation of the warm and vibrant sense of community that we create together here at Holy Family, our ambitious mission that enriches so many lives both within our community and reaching far beyond, and the unique and creative Mass experience that we have offered here for many years.
Our listening has led to the descriptions of our Mass menu and hopefully gives you a greater appreciation for the many opportunities to worship with us each weekend. There’s a Mass to fit every schedule.
Saturday 5 pm Mass-our new “Revive @ 5” Mass. Some subtle changes make this Mass a more concise and motivating experience.
Sunday Masses
7:30-Get an early, inspired start with a worship experience that is reflective, restorative, pure and simple.
9:00 and 11:00-These Masses offer the full blown Holy Family experience, Masses that are rich,
dynamic, inspiring and celebratory including many extra blessings, rituals and music.
4:00 pm-Need a lift? Experience our Teen Mass that also includes other kindred spirits periodically,
created for and led by teens this is a high energy, high impact worship experience.
Mass is also offered Monday thru Friday at 9 AM and Monday and Wednesday Evenings at 7 pm.
To fulfill our theme to reNEW this coming year, we will be encouraging every ministry to reNEW their purpose and energize their mission with new vigor, one that we know comes primarily from the Holy Spirit in our midst. This quite simply is an invitation to be an even HOLIER Family. I am asking you very directly to be the evangelizers of the many good, positive, creative, powerful and meaningful ministries that happen here at Holy Family every day. I am asking you to be harbingers of our many ministries and how they have enriched your faith life and that of your family’s. Tell your family and friends about the ambitious, creative and impactful activities and events that constitute our major ministering communities— Adult Faith, Family and Teen Faith, Holy Family Catholic Academy, Human Concerns, Liturgical Life, Music and Worship Technology and Parish Support and Services.
And if you do not currently have a spiritual home, we invite you to join us on a regular basis to experience our dynamic worship and explore the many ministries at Holy Family. We offer many opportunities for young and old to express and deepen your faith. A small sampling of these opportunities is listed on the next page. Many more can be found in the bulletin or on our website.
One event in particular that I’d encourage you to check out is the Beloved Retreat led by Dr. Terry Nelson-Johnson. A retreat is probably the best way to RENEW your spiritual energy and focus. You may recall that Terry led our Parish Lenten Mission last year, directs his own enterprise entitled Soul Play and serves the people of Old St. Patrick’s Parish in the city. Terry’s Beloved retreat will move and inspire you in ways that you simply won’t or don’t expect. It isn’t “churchy.” He is both entertaining and inspiring and the experience is well worth it.
In conclusion, our Staff and Leadership wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a joyous Christmas Season. As the bright light of Christ’s birth shines during this season we encourage you to shine a new light on your own spiritual journey this year and to bring a reinvigorating brightness to any ministry that you serve in.